Fairytale or nightmare?
by PerfectDreamWithHim
Summary: Dougie goes to a new school because he was being bullied in the last ones. He thinks this school will be the same as all the others but then he meets a certain boy that will change his life forgood. Dougie POV. Slash!
1. Chapter 1

1.

First day of school. Everybody hates it, but I hate it the most! This is yet another new school I'm attending. On every other school I was being bullied.. I just hope it won't be the same here.

I'm sitting quite uncomfortable in the school bus. Everyone is laughing and telling each other awesome stories of what they did in the holidays. I hate it, especially the part that everyone has a buddy to sit next to.. I've never had that.

The bus stopped to pick up another student. I looked outside, he looked pretty cool to be honest. The typical boy who has a lot of friends and is popular with the girls. Yeah, the kind of boy that never talks to dudes like me.

He stepped on the bus and my thinking was proved right because everyone and I mean everyone greeted him. He was smiling wide while shaking hands and hugging people. I sighed and looked outside again when I suddenly felt someone sitting next to me. I looked surprised around to see who it was. It was him. Apparently there wasn't a seat left but the one next to me.

He looked at me and smiled. 'Hi, are you new this year?' he asked friendly

'Y..Yeah' I said a little shy and surprised

'cool' he said 'I'm Danny Jones' and gave me his hand. I shook it. He's actually talking to me! Weird, never happened to me before. C'mon Dougie, for once in your life, be cool!

'I'm Dougie Poynter' I said

'So Dougie, in what year are you?' he asked me trying to make a conversation which I appreciated.

'year 4, you?'

'Year 5' he said and I was disappointed. Disappointed that he wouldn't be in the same class as me. It would have been nice to already have someone to talk to. He must have seen my disappointment 'cause he said 'Don't worry, you'll make a lot of friends here' and gave me a wink.

I smiled at him. He's really nice! It would be really cool if he becomes my friend.

The bus stopped again. We were there, at hell. At least it's hell for me.

I closed my eyes and prayed to god to give me at least a little amount of coolness to make 1 friend in my class today.

'Good luck Dougie, see you around yeah?' Danny said while taking off with his mates.

'Yeah, sure' I said but not loud enough for him to hear me. Here I am again, alone as always. This school won't be any different from the others, I just know it. The kids look different and have different names but turns out they always treat people the same. But it never happened to me before that someone talked to me on my first day. Danny is really cool and nice, I could tell. But he's only being nice to me because he's feeling sorry for me.

I took a deep breath before stepping off the bus, towards hell.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Turns out I was right.. of course I was right! Who was I to think this place might be different from all the other places I've been? Nobody else talked to me, didn't even gave me second looks. I heard several times the word freak whispering behind my back.

Yeah this place isn't any different I thought when I was walking towards the bus. I was glad that the day was over but I wasn't looking forward to the next day. I think I might ask my parents to move again. Just when I was about to step on the bus to go back home I heard someone yell 'Dougie!'.

I froze when I heard the voice, I know that voice. It was the only voice that had talked to me today. I gladly turned around to see him running towards me.

'Hey, how was your day?' he asked me and by the look on his face I could tell that was genuinely interested.

'Ok I guess' I said raising my shoulder.

'C'mon Dougs' he said while putting his arm around my shoulder. 'It was only your first day, it will be better'

Dougs? He was actually giving me a nickname that wasn't insulting! I was a little uncomfortable with his arm around me but it felt nice. It made me feel a little loved. But I looked around to see if people were watching us because it won't be the first time that someone called me gay.

Suddenly I felt his arm slip off my shoulders and I looked at him. A few mates of his were walking towards the bus too.

'Hey guys!' he said exited

'Jones mate, where have you been all day?' the middle one asked him

'Where do you think? In class of course' he said smiling

'You should have skipped with us mate, it was really fun' the left one said

'yeeeeeah, maybe next time alright?' Danny said giving them a wink

'Sure mate, whenever you want' the middle spoke again.

I was standing a little uncomfortable while they were talking. I didn't know what do you. Should I wait for Danny or just go in the bus? I saw his mates giving me weird looks when Danny wasn't paying attention to them. They were totally asking themselves what the fuck I was doing here and why Danny was even talking to me.

Oh god, this is ridiculous! I swung around and stepped in the bus. When I took a seat I looked outside. Danny hadn't even realized I was gone. He was laughing and talking with his mates. I sighed a little and played with my hands.

Suddenly I felt someone sitting next to me again. It was Danny.

'Why didn't you wait for me?' he asked

'Err, I didn't know you wanted me to' I said honestly

He laughed a little 'Mate, that's what mates do'

He called me mate! Oh my god, for the first time in my life someone else except my dad calls me mate!

'We.. we're mates?' I asked insecure.

'Yeaaah, what did you think?' he said smiling wide

'I don't know, I thought you were just being nice' I said looking at my hands and raising my shoulders.

He laughed and shook his head but didn't say anything and I was too much of a chicken to ask what was funny. He didn't gave me any more attention and started talking to his other mates which were the rest of the whole fucking bus.

'This is me' Danny said suddenly when the bus stopped. He took his bag and looked at me 'See you tomorrow?'

'Sure' I said, surprised he was talking to me again. After he said goodbye to the rest of the bus, even the driver, he stepped off and walked towards his house.

I've got a mate who is mates with everyone.. great..!


	3. Chapter 3

3.

The next day the bus picked me up at 8 o'clock. I sat in the same seat as yesterday. I was quite exited to pick up Danny. He was the only reason I still go to school now. There is something special about him, something different. The bus stopped before Danny's house. I looked outside to watch him. He came out but wasn't smiling like yesterday, in fact he looked pretty sad. I wondered what was wrong.

Everyone greeted him again when he stepped on the bus. He did his best to smile and be friendly but I could see how hard he had to try. To my surprise he didn't sit next to me. He asked someone to switch seats with him. While a random guy sat next to me I kept looking at Danny. Him and the guy he sat next to were whispering. It looked pretty intense. The guy looked like he was comforting Danny. Now I really want to know what's wrong with him! The guy next to me didn't say anything and I didn't want to start a conversation either. I looked at him for a minute. Brown hair with some blond highlights and blue eyes. Obviously a skater by the looks of his clothing. But like I said, I wasn't really in the mood to talk right now. I was way too curious and worried about Danny.

Instead I looked at Danny again. The guy next to him was still talking to him. He had blond/brown hair and brown eyes and I guess you can say a little chubby but definitely not fat.

Danny looked as cool as he did yesterday with his straight brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing jeans with a yellow T-shirt.

The bus stopped and I sighed. Another day in paradise I guess. Danny and the blond guy quickly got off the bus and went to the entrance together. They were joined by the guy that sat next to me. I wonder.. Are they sitting in the same class?

I slowly walked towards my locker to put away some of the books I didn't need right away. Suddenly some assholes came by and when they saw me they saw the perfect opportunity to pick on me.

'Hey look guys, here is the freak everyone is talking about!' he said to his friends and the students who were standing around.

'Yeah, now we know why!' another guy said while smiling.

'Look at him! what a joke!' the obvious leader said laughing and was joined by the others.

'What's going on?' a voice asked. A familiar voice and I was glad to hear it.

'Danny mate. Look at this freak we found' the leader laughed while putting an arm around his shoulder.

Danny pushed the arm off his shoulder. 'Don't you have anything better to do Damon?' he asked frowning while walking towards me.

'Don't pay any attention to them' he said to me and laid his hand on my shoulder

'C'mon Danny why do you always have to be so nice to everyone?' the guy asked but Danny ignored him.

'Let's get you out of here shall we?' he said and I nodded gratefully.

We walked outside and sat on a bench.

'Are you alright?' Danny asked me

'Yeah sure' I said trying to keep myself big

'It's ok if you're not' Danny said but didn't look at me. He was leaning forward with his arms on his knees and looked at some trees. I didn't answer, I wanted to calm down. I don't want to end up in tears on my second day and not when Danny was with me.

'Are you alright?' I asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

He gave me a quick look but then looked back to the trees. 'Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?' he asked a little cold.

'You looked upset on the bus' I said while trying to look in his eyes.

He just smiled and shook his head.

'What?' I asked confused

'It's just weird that you can see that I was upset before. There is only one person that can tell when my smile isn't genuine' he then looked at me 'apparently now there are two persons who can do that'

'The boy you sat next to in the bus?' I asked

'Yeah' Danny said and turned his head to the trees again 'Him' he added softly

I wanted to ask why he was upset but resisted that feeling. Maybe it was a little too early to ask such personal stuff. I barely know the guy.. we sat on the bench for some time before going to class.

Whilst sitting in class I didn't pay much attention. What Danny said made me feel special. Like he was starting to trust me and we were starting to open up to each other. I smiled when I looked outside and saw the trees Danny had been looking at. Now I see why he had his eyes on them. It was a beautiful sight, almost breathtaking.

I looked at the clock. 11.30 am, half an hour to go before I can see him again.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

I was relieved when I heard the bell ring. I rushed to the cafeteria, took a plate, asked for food and looked around for Danny. I saw him sitting with the blond and the brown haired kids again. I was struggling, should I go to him or find another place to eat? Just when I was about to look for another place I heard Danny yell my name. I look up and saw him gesturing me. With a big smile I accepted his invitation and sat down beside him.

'Hey Dougie, I want you to meet some mates of mine' he said 'This is Tom Fletcher' and he pointed at the blond haired guy. I shook hands with him.

'And this is Harry Judd' he said and I also shook hands him.

'Dan, can I talk to you for a minute?' Harry asked a little out of the blue.

'Sure' Danny said and stood up to step away with Harry.

'You seem like a nice guy' Tom said to me and I smiled at him.

'Just.. Just don't do anything to hurt Danny alright? He's been hurt enough.' He added

I frowned 'Of course I'm not going to hurt him!' I said raising my voice a little but then I added whispering 'What do you mean with he's been hurt enough?'

'Danny will tell if you he thinks time is right' Tom said 'Danny told me how you could figure him out. He there for thinks you're special and trusts you, so..'

'I know' I interrupted him 'I won't hurt him' and gave a smile. Tom smiled back.

Harry and Danny joined the table again.

'So, what have you two been talking about?' Danny asked. I felt my face turn red but Tom quickly came up with a decent lie.

'Just about school. He told me he's starting to like it here'

Danny smiled 'Great!' he said and began eating his meal.

Lunch break was over too quickly for my taste and the lessons were pretty boring either. I thought about Tom's words. "He's been hurt enough" I wonder what has happened to Danny over the years.

I quickly jumped up when I heard the bell and practically ran towards the bus. I was one of the first in there and took my usual seat again.

In the following minutes some other guys came on the bus and took their places. And minutes later I saw outside the window that Danny and Tom were on their way to the bus. I began to smile wide when the stepped on the bus. And this time Danny sat next to me.

'So how was your day?' he asked accentuating the word your.

'It was alright' I said 'How about yours?'

He smiled 'Let's put it like this. It ended better than it started'

I smiled along 'Yeah, same here'

When all the kids were on board the bus took off. Harry sat next to Tom who were sitting in the seat next to us. We were talking and laughing. so this Is how it feels like to have friends? I like it!

First it was Harry's stop, then Tom, then Danny and then me. We exchanged numbers to text and call each other outside school.

I stepped off the bus and walked to my door. Inside Mum was cooking, smells like Spaghetti my favorite!

When she saw me she kissed me on the forehead 'How was your day? Had any bullies today?' she asked a little concerned while rubbing her hands through my hair.

'Mum c'mon, I'm not 10 anymore!' I said while pushing her hand out of my hair. We laughed at my comment.

'I wish you still were' she said

'Nooooo thank you' I said smiling 'And my day has been great actually! Made some friends' I said giving her a wink.

'Aaawh that's great honey!' she said really excited. My parents have always known what went on in my previous schools and helped me through. And now I've finally found a place where people actually accept me for who I am.

I smiled at my thoughts. Yeah because I know Danny and I are in some kind a little the same. Apparently we're both been hurt enough to last a lifetime.

* * *

**Alright, I've got some big plans for this story! :D**

**Anyway I hope you like it so far, R&R**


	5. Chapter 5

5.

Third day of school. I'm actually looking forward to it, can you imagine? Me, the one who hates school suddenly loves to go? And that all because of 3 boys, well one in particular.

'Hey' Danny said sitting next to me on the bus.

'Hey' I said smiling.

'Want to meet up after school?' he asked

'Sure' I said trying to stay cool but inside I was glowing. Him wanting to meet me outside school proves that he likes me right?

Danny smiled. 'Cool' he said.

When we got to school we all walked together to our lockers to put some books away.

'Sorry guys, Matthew wants me to have lunch with him so I won't be there' Harry said while putting his phone away which gestures he just had a text.

'Don't sweat it' Tom said and looked at his roster. 'Damn, we have class in 5 minutes. Sorry guys, duty calls'

Danny laughed 'Have fun while I have a free period!'

'Yeah, yeah. Enjoy it while you can mate, will be over before you know it' Tom said trying to kill Danny's joy which didn't work. 'Come on Harry, let's go' he said to Harry and they took off.

'You don't sit in the same class as Tom and Harry?' I asked surprised. I had just assumed they were.

'Nah mate, Tom and Harry are a year older than me' he said and suddenly laughed. 'That makes them 2 years older than you mate!'

God, now he mentions it I am 2 years younger than them. I suddenly felt so young!

'Don't worry about it' Danny said still laughing while punching me on the back. 'So when do you have class?'

I looked at my roster and groaned. 'In about half an hour'

Danny laughed again clearly enjoying that everyone had to go to class before him. I punched him on the shoulder.

'What was that for?' he asked still laughing.

'Because you're such a meanie!' I mumbled and that only made him laugh more.

'Oh Dougie' he said as tears of happiness appeared in his eyes. 'You're quite something aren't you?'

Now it was my time to laugh. 'You sound like my mum!'

We were both laughing like idiots and we went on like that until I had to go to class.

'Enjoy!' he said smiling

'Of course' I said sarcastic. 'What are you going to do?'

'Meet up with some classmates' he said raising his shoulders.

'Alright, see you at lunch!' I said and took off.

When I arrived in class, I took my seat near the window again. It was the same seat I sat yesterday, where I could see the view where Danny had been looking at.

'Is it true that your name is actually Douglas?' some kid suddenly asked me

'Yeah' I said and the entire class started laughing and the teacher who just got in didn't do anything.

'And you call yourself Dougie?' the same kid asked again.

I just nodded.

'Really? Dougie? That's really pathetic!' another kid said and everyone started laughing again.

'And look at his clothes!' a girl said pointing at me.

'No, look at his hair!' the first kid said in a girly voice.

The room was filled with laughter again, I even saw the teacher smile!

'Alright, alright that's enough' she suddenly said but was still smiling.

Everyone took their places and she started her class. I had to do my best to not let the tears fall down my face. I just looked outside, thankfully she left me alone and didn't ask me stupid questions.

I was so happy before, laughing with Danny, but now.. I'm back to square one.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

I was really thankful when I heard the bell. I quickly took off before anyone could speak to me again.

'Dougie!' I heard Tom yell as I was walking towards the cafeteria.

'Hey' I said and took a plate.

'Was your class as boring as mine?' he groaned

'Probably more' I said raising my eyebrows.

'Are you ok?' Tom asked me while taking his food.

'Yeah, I'm fine' I lied as we walked towards the same table as yesterday.

We were sitting there for quite some time and Danny hadn't showed up yet.

'Where is that boy?' Tom said as we were out of stuff to talk about. 'Shall I text him?' he asked pulling out his cell from his pocket.

I suddenly saw Danny walking towards us with his plate of food.

'That won't be necessary' I said to Tom as I pointed at Danny who just arrived at our table.

'Finally!' Tom said 'Where have you been?'

'I had to talk with my teacher' he said a little out of breath. He had been running to meet us.

'OOH, you had a date' Tom teased him.

'God no!' Danny made a disgust face. 'Have you seen her? She looks like a troll!'

We all laughed. Danny looked at me and narrowed his eyes.

'You're quiet' he said. 'Is everything ok?'

'Tell you later, alright?' I asked. At least I had our meeting after school to look forward to.

'Sure' he said and started talking again.

Lunch was over quickly. We saw Harry and chatted with him for a while before I had to go to class.

Reluctantly I took my seat again and I was glad that everyone left me alone. They whispered and looked at me to burst out in laughter but thankfully they didn't say anything to me. I didn't pay any attention in class and drew some pictures in my workbook. I tried to occupy myself and to kill the time. I was looking forward to meeting Danny after school and prayed that time was on my side. But it wasn't. Sometimes there were only 4 minutes passed when it felt like 40! I hate it when that happens.

I counted down every hour, minute, second to the bell and I was glad when it finally rang. Again, I took off as fast as I could and found Harry in the hallway.

'Hey, how was your day?' he asked

'Boring, how was yours?'

He laughed. 'Exactly, the same.'

'Oh there is Danny, see your tomorrow yeah?' I said when I saw Danny standing by his locker.

'yeah, see ya!' Harry said and walked outside to go to the bus.

'Hey!' I said smiling.

'There you are' he said also smiling. 'Can't believe this day is finally over!'

I laughed. Seems like everyone didn't have the greatest day.

'So, where are we going?' I asked excited.

'Just hanging. Playground perhaps?'

He laughed when he saw my face.

'No Doug, we're not going to play in the sand.'


	7. Chapter 7

7.

We were each sitting on a swing, laughing at another comment Danny just made about his teacher. We were having loads of fun and I was really comfortable with him.

'So what was up with you at lunch?' he asked suddenly serious.

My smile faded when I thought back.

'Just some kids who were making fun of me.' I said looking down.

'Who?' Danny asked a little angry and I looked up, surprised by his reaction.

'Just some kids from my class. Don't even know their names..' I said raising my shoulders. Now it was easy to pretend it wasn't a big deal and that it didn't do anything to me.

Danny growled angry. 'I hate kids like that! Like they are so perfect!'

I was surprised by how much Danny cared about this but it made me feel safe with him. He was really becoming my best friend.

'Don't pay any attention to them Dougs, just ignore them. They are too pathetic to give them any attention! And they don't have to try that around me, I will show them just how pathetic they are with their stupid..' I couldn't understand the rest he was saying. He was talking inarticulately but I bet that it weren't the sweetest words.

He suddenly stopped when he saw the grin on my face.

'What?' he asked

'Thanks' I said

'What for?' he asked confused.

'For being here for me, for making me smile again.'

He smiled 'No probs' and gave me a wink.

'You're my first real friend' I said back to being serious and he looked up.

'Aren't I the lucky one..'

We looked at each other and both burst out in laughter.

'Aaaaw, come here' he said grinning wide and hugged me.

'I will make sure they don't bother you again.' He said whispering in my ear whilst hugging me. I smiled to his shoulder and tightened my grip on him.

'Thanks' I whispered back

He then looked at his watch, it was pretty late already. 'Should be heading home' he said 'I'm a little tired'

I raised an eyebrow. 'Didn't notice that'

He laughed. 'No seriously, I'm tired'

'Alright' I said, sad it was already over.

We walked home together and laughed some more. We first came to my house.

'See ya!' I yelled while walking to the door.

'Yeah see ya!'

After I closed the door I began grinning wide.

'Looks like you had fun' my mum said appearing from the living room.

'Yeah, I had' I said to her with the same big grin.

'I'm so glad for you honey' she said running her hand through my hair again.

'Mum!' I said in a nagging voice and she smiled.

This is the most happy I've ever felt in my entire life! I am so glad I found Danny and the guys. I almost feel like I am living in a fairytale. I get my happily ever after, after all.

* * *

**I know last one wasn't much of chapter, sorry! **

**Oh and thanks for reviewing, really means a lot! :D**

**R&R ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

8.

Weeks passed and Danny and I grew very close. We literally became best friend. We always sat next to each other in the bus and in the cafeteria. Texted while sitting in class and outside school. He even came over at my house several times. We always had so much fun together! It sometimes happened again that Danny wasn't cheerful when stepping on the bus. Then he asked Harry to sit next to me and talked to Tom for a while.

I always wanted to know what was wrong with Danny but I knew that he would tell me when he felt it was the right time.

And in school I had no more bullies because they saw that I was really close with Danny. He stuck up for me and because they don't want to have a fight with one of the most popular guys in school they let me alone. I didn't get any more friends either but I didn't need any. I am perfectly happy with our little group.

I don't get along with Tom and Harry as well as I do with Danny. But Danny is special. It feels like we've known each other for years. We had this instant connection with each other.. I can't really explain.

After 3 weeks of school we had a two week during holiday. Danny stayed over a couple of nights and spend a lot of his time with me just fooling around.

"Hey! Wanna hang out 2day?" I texted as I was hanging in the couch, bored as hell.

A few minutes later I got a respond.

"Can't. I'm meeting Tom"

I was a little disappointed but seems like I will have to find a way to get through the day without him. Turns out I can only last a few hours without him. I was so bored, so I started to text him again.

"What you're doing?"

"Hanging with Tom" he answered

"Can u come over 2night?" I asked

"What time?"

"7 or 8?"

"C u there!"

My day became instantly better and I watched a movie to kill the time. Suddenly I got a message but it wasn't from Danny. It was from Tom.

"Has Danny told you yet?"

I first had to think what he was talking about but I figured it out quite quickly.

"No, why?" I texted back

"Just wanted to know"

Well, that was weird! I wonder what's up with him.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and I ran downstairs to open the door. Danny was standing casual against the wall and still had his mp3 in his ears. His head was moving to the beat and I watched him with a smile. When he noticed me he immediately took of his headphone and hugged me with a big smile.

We had a lot of fun that evening. We just had a little playfight and were lying exhausted on the floor.

'Dougie?' Danny suddenly asked seriously

I pulled myself in a sitting position and looked at him. 'Yeah?'

'You know I'm down sometimes right?' he asked while still lying on the floor with his hands under his head. I nodded.

'Well, it's kind of a long story but the button line is that I'm in foster care. Actually I'm sort of adopted but I see it more as living with another family for a little while. I don't have real parents or family like you do. I lost them all when I was little.' He said looking at the ceiling.

'I'm so sorry Danny' I whispered

'It's ok I guess. I can't really remember what it is like to have my real family actually' he said frowning.

'How old were you?' I asked still whispering

'6 or 7 I think' he said raising his shoulders 'Anyway I'll tell you everything someday because it's a long story.'

'Why did you decide to tell me now?' I asked while looking at my hands and when I took a quick look at Danny I saw him narrowing his eyes. I immediately regretted asking the stupid question.

He pulled himself on his feet and took his stuff. When he was about to walk outside my room he turned around .

'I thought you knew' he said sadly and walked outside my room.

'Danny!' I yelled running after him.

At the door he stopped and turned around. He didn't look at me but at his feet. I saw a tear falling down his cheeks.

'I'm sorry, please stay' I begged. Meanwhile my Mum appeared from after the wall that separated the hallway to the kitchen.

'Danny sweety why are you crying?' she asked using her typical Mummy voice. Danny stood uncomfortably by the door and didn't know what to say or do.

'Mum, can we have some privacy please?' I asked her a little mad. She looked at me and then at Danny. she clearly didn't want to leave but did it anyway.

'Where are you going?' I asked softly at Danny

He wiped his tears away 'Tom's house'

I felt jealous when he said that. I get that every time Danny mentions him. He must have noticed something on my face because he explained himself.

'I know Tom since I was 5. He's always been there for me and knows my whole story.'

I nodded 'What did I do wrong before?' I asked.

He smiled but another tear fell down his cheek. 'I guess nothing'

I didn't understand but he turned around and opened the door before I could say anything else.

'See you tomorrow at school?' I asked yelling as he took off. Tomorrow school starts again. I wasn't looking forward to it but yeah, what can you do about it you know?

Danny just put his hand in the air without even turning around. What did that mean? I kept looking outside until he disappeared from my sight, hoping he might turn around.

I sighed and went back in to run straight to my room and didn't want to come out for the rest of the whole fucking night.

* * *

**It's not what I originally had planned but decided not to go through with it because it was boring :p  
Anyway, a lot will be revealed in the following chapters. Hope you like it..**


	9. Chapter 9

9.

The next day I wasn't looking forward to school. I hoped that Danny wasn't still mad at me. I didn't really understand why but I hope we can get back to before and forget about it.

When I noticed the bus outside I kissed my parents goodbye and walked towards the bus. I sat in my usual seat and waited for the next stop because it would be Danny's.

The bus stopped but he didn't came out. Suddenly a woman in very clean and dignified clothes stepped on the bus and whispered with the driver. Everyone was looking at the sight and asking each other what was going on and why Danny wasn't coming.

The woman stepped off the bus and returned to the house. I wonder, is that his foster Mum? Because she doesn't look so bad..

The bus drove to the next house. It was Tom's house. He stepped on the bus and sat in his seat not giving me any look. He must have known that Danny wasn't coming to school because he didn't look surprised when he wasn't sitting next to me.

'Tom?' I asked but he didn't respond. I know I asked it loud enough because almost the entire bus was suddenly looking at me which made me feel really uncomfortable. Tom was ignoring me and I wanted to know why.

I wanted to sit next to him but apparently the bus had stopped for the next house which was Harry's. just when I wanted to sit next to Tom, Harry sat beside him.

They whispered together the entire way to school. I couldn't understand anything they were saying and that frustrated me.

I took my cell and texted to Danny.

"Why aren't u coming 2 school?"

I waiting the whole day for a respond but I didn't get one. Time crawled by and Tom and Harry ignored me. I had no one again. The bullies saw their chance to pick on me because Danny wasn't here to protect me. He always came up for me when bullies wanted to pick on me.

'What have you done to Danny?' David asked me while he and his mates were driving me into a corner. He was the same guy that had started bullying me the last time.

'Nothing' I said quietly.

'You killed him didn't you?'

I didn't respond. 'DIDN'T YOU?'

'DAVID! That's enough, take your seats' Our teacher said. They groaned and gave me evil looks before going back to their desks. As they all sat down I quickly took my backpack and took my seat as well.

As the day slowly turned to an end I was happy to see the bus standing before school. I walked to it but was taken by my bag and pushed to a wall. When I saw his face I saw it was Tom.

'I told you not to hurt him!' he said angry through his teeth while holding my shirt by my neck.

'I.. I didn't want to hurt him. Honestly!' I said panicky when I saw Tom's angry eyes. I suddenly had a lot of flashbacks of horrible times at my last schools.

Tom sighed and let go of me. 'Alright' he said calming himself down when he saw my terrified face 'I will tell you Danny's story but only because this is a crisis situation understand?'

I quickly nodded and he sighed again.

'10 years ago Danny and his parents were on their way to the zoo when they had an accident. His parents were killed instantly and he laid in a coma for 2 months. When he woke up he couldn't move his legs and the doctors said he probably won't be able to walk ever again. He sat in a wheelchair for 3 years when he suddenly felt something touching his foot. It was a miracle according to the doctors. After 6 months he was able to walk on his own again. But because he lost his parents and no one of his direct family wanted to take in a 7 year old boy in a wheelchair he had to go to the orphanage. And there no one wanted to adopt a kid in a wheelchair.. Later he also lost his sister.. But in the month he was able to walk again he got adopted by a nice family. But he always told me that it will never be the same. He misses his real family like crazy but never heard from them after the accident. He feels an outcast in his own house. That's what brings him down sometimes.' Tom stopped for a moment to look at me.

I was pretty amazed and shocked by the story and shove down the wall and sat down.

'And then you came' Tom said and I looked up.

'You two are like soulmates. You were meant to find each other.' He continued. 'I'm jealous of you, do you know that?'

'Why?' I asked surprised

'I've known Danny since we were 5 or 6 but at age 14 I fell in love with him. We were very close and talked day and night. He told me everything and I told him everything. And just when I thought he might be in love with me too you came. You had like an instant connection with each other. And since he met you he's been different. Happier I think. He looks at you in a special way. The kind of look I wish he gave me instead of you.'

'What do you mean?' I asked confused

Tom looked up. His face was really serious but changed to sad, so was his voice when he spoke.

'He's in love with you'


	10. Chapter 10

10.

I was lying wide awake in bed. I couldn't forget the words Tom had said about Danny. Suddenly I heard my phone vibrate. I sighed and read the message. It was from Tom.

"R U alright?"

Ok, I have to confess something. I ran. I ran away after Tom said what he said. I can't even repeat the words he used. What should I do now? I still don't know why Danny isn't coming to school anymore. I still care about him, I always have but I don't l..lo.. oh never mind. I can't say the word.

After a few minutes I texted back.

"yeah"

"Can u come outside? I'm standing b4 your door"

I frowned. Standing before my door? what is he doing here? I quickly took some clothes to put on and went downstairs to open the door. I saw Tom standing where Danny used the wait for me. Casually standing against the wall.

Tom looked at me and I saw the sadness in his eyes.

'What's wrong?' I asked

'You have to hear why Danny isn't going to school anymore'

'Alright' I said and sat on my front porch, curious of what Tom was about to tell me.

Tom sat down beside me and started his story.

'After he left your house, he came to mine. He told me about what happened and that you had no clue about his love for you but that it still hurt like hell. I comforted him and walked him home. There he told me something I didn't even know.'

'Told you what?' I asked softly but curious at the same time.

'Dougie, Danny's sick.' he said while his voice broke.

'What?' I asked shocked while jumping straight.

'He's got cancer Dougie. There isn't anything they can do anymore.' He said while a tear fell down his cheek.

'Chemo? What about chemo?' I asked desperately while I felt tears appearing in my eyes.

Tom just shook his head and burst out in tears and I stood perplexed looking at him. He was serious, Danny has cancer. Reality suddenly hit me and I burst in tears as well. I hugged Tom and for a while we were standing there crying in each other's arms, we didn't try to say comforting words to each other knowing that it will never become just ok. After an hour or so Tom and I were out of tears and he went back home, I watched him disappear from my sight.

I had expected a whole lot of stories but just not this one..


	11. Chapter 11

11.

I went back to bed and finally slept, I was exhausted because of the crying. I dreamt of me and Danny. we were a couple and it was like I was in heaven. I woke up and realized what I was dreaming of. Maybe my unconscious is telling me that I love Danny too..

I shook my head and rejected that thought from my brain. The morning I felt pretty numb. When the bus stopped before my house I immediately said my goodbyes and stepped on it. I took my usual seat and stared outside. I was totally unaware of the things happening in the bus. My mind was somewhere else. My mind was with Danny.

I thought about everything. Everything he and I did, how much fun we had. How my day became instantly better when I heard of him and how I got a smile so wide it hurt sometimes when I saw him. I thought about how he was always there for me when people wanted to pick on me. I forced myself to remember how he looked at me. And indeed like Tom said it was in a special way but.. now I think about it. I looked at him in a special way too. Does this mean that I too am in love with him?

I felt someone sitting next to me and that forced me to get back to the real world. I blinked several times before looking who sat next to me. It was Tom of course. But we didn't talk, we just sat there. Suddenly I felt my cell vibrate.

"Sorry I couldn't answer b4. Can I come over 2night? Have 2 tell u something.." Danny texted

I swallowed and let the text show to Tom. He too swallowed and repressed a tear from falling down.

"Sure, 7 alright?" I texted back pretending I had no idea.

"Perfect"

The rest of the day crawled by. But now I had Tom and Harry to hang with. We didn't say anything to each other but at least I wasn't alone. The bullies let me alone too now I was with them. I was glad I didn't had to deal with them right now. I know that I couldn't handle it if they picked on me today.

I felt more and more nervous as the day went by. When I stepped on the bus to bring me back home I even felt a little sick.

When I got home I told my mum Danny would come over. She was very happy to hear that after the night he left so suddenly she was worried for me. She thought I would get bullied again.

I didn't eat much, I couldn't. I know that Danny is about to tell me he's sick and that gave me a big punch in the stomach. I got excused and used the last half hour to listen to some music. It's the only thing that helped me through the years of getting bullied. And now it helped me to stay calm. At least.. until the doorbell rang.

I felt my heartbeat raise to a abnormal fast rhythm as I ran downstairs to open the door. I found him waiting for me with a little smile on his face. I smiled back until I had a good look. He looked really tired and had red eyes.

I let him in and we immediately went to my bedroom. My heart hasn't calmed down yet and that annoyed me.

He sat down on my bed. I saw that he was nervous too. I sat in my little chair next to the bed.

'I err.. I have to tell you something Dougie' he started 'I don't know how to tell you this but..'

I closed my eyes and was afraid of the words he was going to say. I didn't want to hear it again but I had to.

'I've got cancer, leukemia' he said and looked at me. I couldn't act surprised anymore, I just let the tears fall down my face.

'But you already knew that didn't you?' he asked when he noticed I wasn't as shocked as I should have been.

'I'm sorry. Tom told me' I said sad

'It's ok' he said

'Are you feeling alright?'

'Yeah, I just haven't slept in 2 days because I had to throw up all day and night' he answered me. I nodded in understanding but I didn't, I didn't understand.

'Tom also told me that you're in love with me' I said careful. He immediately turned his head to mine. He was surprised to hear me say that but he quickly redeemed himself.

'I know you don't feel the same way' he said whispering as he laid himself down on my bed. There was a silence. A pretty long one that gave me the time to take everything in and think about it.

'Danny, I think I'm in love with you too' I said it before I even realized it. But I think I have always loved him, I just didn't want to admit it to myself.

'Danny?' I asked when he didn't respond. I looked up and saw he had fallen asleep. I looked at the peacefully sleeping boy, a smile appeared on my face.

'Yeah.. I'm definitely in love with you'


	12. Chapter 12

12.

I called Danny's foster parents to let them know he had fallen asleep here and that I didn't want to wake him. I also told my parents what was going on. My mum was wrecked when I told her. She cares for Danny as if he was her own son.

I went back to my room and wanted to shove the mattress from under my bed but changed my mind when I saw Danny sleeping. I took the blankets and crawled in bed next to him. I woke him a little.

'Whatcha doing?' he asked sleepily

'going to sleep and since you're in my bed I have no choice but crawl in with you' I said smiling.

But Danny was too tired to give a respond and closed his eyes again.

'I love you Danny' I said whispering while I removed the hair from his face. He didn't respond but suddenly had a smile on his face. That was enough for me to know he heard me. I tucked myself in and before closing my eyes I took a look at my love. What have I ever done to deserve him?

When I woke up Danny was already awake. We were lying face to face and just looked at each other for a while. Danny broke the silence I was enjoying with a smile on my face.

'Did you mean it?' he asked referring to last night.

'Of course I meant it' I said smiling. A huge smile appeared again on his face. I was glad to see him so happy even though.. no I can't remind myself of that.

Danny suddenly turned on his back and sighed. His smile also disappeared, like he could read my mind.

'We need to have a talk' he said serious.

I swallowed and with fear in my eyes I looked at Danny who was staring at the ceiling. I didn't want to talk about it but I guess there is no escaping. Not talking about it isn't going to make it all go away. I can no longer ignore this.

'I guess' I said sighing. Danny suddenly turned again to face me.

'Dougie, I don't have much time left' he said while tears appeared in his eyes. I felt my heartbeat raise and stopped breathing. My eyes widened and I jumped straight in the bed.

'How long?' I asked looking at him, scared of the answer he was going to give me. He was still lying on his side but he turned his head to the pillow when he answered. He was too afraid to face me.

'A.. few weeks'

I felt like someone just stabbed me in the heart, took the knife out and stabbed me again.

'Weeks?' I asked with a high voice.

'I'm sorry!' he said sitting straight. 'I shouldn't have told you that' he said with tears in his eyes. 'Maybe.. maybe I should just leave.'

He stepped out of bed and walked towards the door when I stopped him. I took him by his arm which made him freeze.

'Why are you leaving?' I asked confused

'Just forget about me Dougie.' He said still facing the door.

'What?'

'It would be best for you not to see me getting sicker and sicker. It wouldn't be fair to you.' He said cold

I spun him around so he would face me. I took his head in my hands to look him in the eyes.

'I'm not going anywhere.' I said to him whispering.

'But..' he started but I cut him off.

'You can sent me away as many times as you like but I'll be coming straight back.' I said strongly 'Danny, I'm not leaving you when you need me the most.'

He burst out in tears and I hugged him tight. I had to do my best to not burst down in tears as well but if I want to be there for Danny I have to be strong. We were hugging for quite a while when suddenly Danny pushed me away to cough uncontrollably.

I looked at him with worry in my eyes. I wanted to help but didn't know how. After a while Danny pulled away the hands before his mouth and looked shocked.

'What's wrong?' I asked. The worry in my voice was loud and clear.

He just looked at me with his widened eyes and open mouth and showed me his hands. They were covered in blood.

My breath was taken away and it felt like my heart stopped beating when I saw his red hands. It was quite an amount of blood. I looked at Danny's face which had become pale. I wanted to ask him if he was alright when he suddenly collapsed on the floor.

'DANNY!' I yelled running towards him. 'Shit, what should I do? MUM!'

'MUM CALL AN AMUBLANCE!' I yelled as hard as I could. I know she heard me because I suddenly heard a lot of noises and an in fear voice talking.

'Come on Danny, don't do this to me.' I said with tears in my eyes and a broken voice as I watched his unconscious body lying on my bedroom floor, knowing that this picture would be forever printed in my brain.


	13. Chapter 13

13.

I was sitting in the waiting room with my mum while the doctors were treating Danny when suddenly a couple rushed in and came running towards us.

'Where is he?' the woman asked in fear.

'The doctors are with him now.' My mum said to her.

'I'm sorry, we are Danny's parents' the man said while giving us a hand.

So this are Danny's foster parents. They don't seem so bad, not bad at all actually.

'You must be Dougie' the woman said to me smiling.

I nodded and gave a weak smile. I can't help it, I'm always shy around new people. Anyway, we all took a seat in the waiting room and tried to kill the time.

'Dougie told me Danny is adopted' my mum said breaking the somewhat awkward silence.

'Yeah, he is. We adopted him when he was 10. He was such a sweet little kid.' Danny's mum said smiling while she remembered.

'We tried to get children ourselves but my wife can't get any.' The man said. 'We didn't know what to do when we heard the news but then the doctor came with the idea of adopting and after we talked about it we decided to go for it.' The man said

'When we went to the orphanage we immediately fell in love with Danny.' the woman continued smiling and the man laid his hand on her leg, they shared a loved look.

'But Danny is a kid with a lot of scars. He has been dealing with a lot of serious stuff at an age where kids should just be kids you know. Losing his biological parents in a car accident, losing the ability to walk for 3 years, the family he had left didn't want to take care of him, ending up in an orphanage, he lost his sister when he was 8. She too was living in the orphanage but ran away. They found her back eventually but she had died because of the cold. She was only 11 years old .' his father said and sighed. 'Life hasn't been easy on him.'

'He never really opened up to us but the people of the orphanage had warned us about that. They said that it is because he had known his real family unlike other kids who never knew what it's like to have one and because he has been through a lot. He doesn't remember his biological family much though but I bet he remembers more than he wants to admit.' His mum said. Suddenly she laughed and wiped away her tears.

'It's weird how much you talk to people you've only just met.'

My mum smiled weak and pulled me a little closer. I bet she was picturing what Danny had gone through and didn't want to let anything like that happen to me.

'And four months ago he was diagnosed with cancer. After the doctors examined him further it came out that the cancer was already gone in a stadium where they can't do anything anymore. It literally broke our hearts.' His mum said while her voice broke. The man took her in his arms and comforted her.

I was too afraid to say something, my mum stayed silence as well when a doctor walked in. We all immediately stood on our feet.

'How is he? What happened?' his father asked.

'His gum started to bleed really heavy and the blood came into esophagus. He couldn't breathe anymore that's why he passed out. We cleared his esophagus from all the blood and we did some blood tests. He is back to consciousness. You can go in if you like.' The doctor said to them.

After that been said his parents went in his room. My mum and I waited again. I was dying to see Danny and wanted to see for myself if he was alright but I had to be patient. His parents go first, I understand that.

After an hour or so his parents came back out and walked towards us.

'How is he?' I asked inpatient.

'He's fine now' his mum said to me but her voice wasn't convinced. 'He wants to see you.' she added.

I took a deep breath before opening the door and walking in.

'Hey, how are you feeling?' I asked and walked towards Danny who was sitting straight in bed.

'Better' he said smiling but his smiled disappeared again. 'I'm sorry' he added.

'Are you apologizing because you're sick? Danny come on that's crazy!' I said a little play-ish so it wouldn't sound mean.

'You know.. you can still walk away' he said looking down.

'Danny please, I'm not going anywhere. When will you believe that?' I said and crawled next to him in bed.

'I love you' I said whispering while taking his fingers between mine and looking in his eyes.

'I love you too' he said, smiling again.

'So I guess you're stuck with me!' I said with a big grin and laid myself comfortable in the bed and took Danny in my arms. He laid his head on my chest and his arms over me.

This is nice, it's really nice. We just laid there for a couple of minutes without saying anything. We were both enjoying each other's company in silence.

I thought it was about time I headed back to my mum when I noticed Danny had fallen asleep. I quietly and carefully crawled out of bed. I tucked him in and gave him a kiss on the forehead. He didn't wake up and I smiled when I saw how cute he was sleeping.

When I came out of the room I saw my mum talking to Danny's parents and to my surprise I saw that my dad was standing there as well.

'He's sleeping' I said when I saw the questioned faces looking at me. Everybody started breathing again but silence filled the room.

'Let's go home' my dad said and I nodded. We said our goodbyes to Danny's parents and headed back to the car.

While we were driving my parents were talking but I wasn't listening. My mind was with Danny, maybe I should have woken him up to tell him I was going back home. Now he's going to wake up not knowing where I am. Or instead of waking him, leaving a note or.. something!

I looked outside to see the trees passing before I could even take a look at them. I remembered my second day of school again where Danny and I had been sitting on a bench outside school after he had saved me from some bullies. He was looking at a beautiful sight of trees then. I bet he was taking everything in, looking at every beautiful detail and print it in his head.

If only I had known then that he was sick.. I could have understand why he was tired sometimes and not push him to do things with me. I could have understand why he couldn't meet me sometimes and he didn't had to come up with excuses. I could have helped him sooner and understand better!

If only he wasn't sick than my life would be perfect right now. Than we could just be happy and love each other. We could enjoy each other's company for years to come.

If only…

When we arrived home I immediately went to my room. My parents had given up talking to me since I wasn't listening anyway.. I threw my jacket in the corner of my room and blasted out some music. I needed to release some aggression and punched everything that came in my way. I even screamed my longs out but thanks to the music no one could hear. I was so angry at the world!

After all the punching and screaming I fell down on my knees and burst out in tears.

'So much for my happy ending..'


	14. Chapter 14

14.

I woke up and reached for my phone. I immediately shot wide awake when I saw I had 2 missed calls and 4 messages. Both calls were from Tom, so were 3 messages. The other one was from Harry. I opened Toms messages first.

"Why didn't u tell me Danny is in hospital? I heard from his mum"

"What room does Danny lie in? Forgot to ask"

"Why are u ignoring me?"

Wooow, someone's cranky..

"Sorry, just woke up. Danny lies in room 235. When R u going?" I texted back

Then I read Harry's message.

"Hey, wanna hang out 2day after school?"

Guess he doesn't know about Danny yet.. I felt a little guilty for not informing them about what happened yesterday.

"Sorry can't. Danny's in hospital I'm going 2 visit him" I texted back to Harry.

He immediately texted back.

"Just heard from Tom. We R going 2 visit him after school. Will u B there?"

"Yeah, m going asap."

I threw my phone in my bed, took a shower and practically ran downstairs when I was ready.

'I'm ready, can we go now?' I asked inpatient

'Honey, you have to eat something first' my mum said giving me a sandwich. I looked at it with disgust. I really wasn't hungry. My dad saw my face.

'We are not leaving until you eat that mate.' He said

I rolled my eyes and quickly pushed the sandwich down my throat.

'Alright, I'm done' I said with my mouth full while putting on my jacket and gesturing my parents. They shared looks with each other. I swallowed the rest of the sandwich.

'I would like to go TODAY!' I said a little pissed off by how slow they were. The drive to the hospital was long and boring. It couldn't go quick enough for me but time wasn't on my side, again.. When we finally arrived at Danny's room, his parents just came out.

'Oh hey Dougie. We're just going to get some breakfast. We won't be long.'

I nodded and turned to my parents while Danny's parents went to the cafeteria.

'Alright, thank you for dropping me off..' I said but because they didn't move I added. 'You can leave now'

I know it sounds harsh but I wanted to be alone with Danny. I love them especially because they allow me to skip school today but they don't have to hang around all day. My parents got the message and left but not before telling me to do something about my attitude.

I entered Danny's room and saw he was still sleeping. I took a seat next to the bed and let out the words I have been holding in.

'I wish I could tell you something to take it all away. It's hard to force that smile when I see you lying in that bed. If I could switch places with you I would happily take your place. Because I know I wouldn't be missed by a lot of people unlike you who is loved by so many. ' I sighed

'I'm scared of the future. I'm scared to live without you. Sometimes I just want to burst out in tears but I can't. I have to be strong for you. You don't need people having a break down right now.. I don't know how you do It, really I don't. I don't know how you keep yourself strong. I think it's harder for me than it is for you. Stupid isn't it? I'm not the one that's sick, I don't have to lie in that hospital bed and I'm not the one who's dying.' I felt my voice break during that last sentence.

Dying.. he's dying.. just the thought of him not being with me scares the hell out of me.


	15. Chapter 15

15.

I sat beside Danny and gently caress over his hand. After a few minutes he woke up and a smile appeared on his face when he saw me sitting next to him.

'Good morning' he said with his gorgeous smile.

'Good morning' I said also smiling

'I probably can go home today' he said excited and sat up straight.

'Really?'

'Yeah, when the results come back from the blood test and everything is ok, I can go home.'

'That's great!' I said smiling wide.

'So, where is mum and dad?'

'They've gone to the cafeteria to get some breakfast and Tom and Harry are coming this afternoon to visit you.'

He nodded.

'How are you feeling?' I asked

'Good' he said but the tone of his voice betrayed him.

'Don't lie to me' I said soft and he sighed.

'Alright, I feel a little sick. I don't think I will be able to hold anything in today.'

Before I could say anything his parents came in.

'Good morning darling' his mother said smiling 'We brought you a sandwich' and she gave it to him.

I could see how Danny's face changed to nausea and when he could smell the sandwich he put a hand before his mouth and ran to the bathroom. His mum looked perplexed.

'He just said to me that he was feeling sick. The smell probably was too much for him' I said explaining it to his mum

'Should have known that' she said blaming herself. 'He has had that a few times before.'

The man took his wife in his arms and hugged her. She then let go of him and walked towards the bathroom door.

'I'm sorry honey, are you ok?' she asked but he didn't answer.

'Danny?' she asked worried and tried to open the door but he had locked it.

'Son?' his dad tried.

'I.. I'm fine' Danny said eventually. His voice was trembling.

He stayed in the bathroom for a while longer until he was sure that he felt good enough to come out again. We sometimes heard him being sick again but he didn't want to open the door, he didn't want us to see.

When he eventually came out two hours had passed. He looked miserable.

'I'm sorry' he said

'It's ok' I said warmly and smiled at him

'I'm really sorry honey' his mum said

'Don't be mum, it was bound to happen' he said raising his shoulders and crawled back into his bed.

The room was filled with a ringing sound and his dad picked up his phone. After a rather long conversation which he held outside, he came back with a guilty face.

'I'm so sorry son but your mum and I have to go to work. There is a problem.'

'It's ok' Danny said waving the problem away. 'I have Dougie to keep me company'

They kissed Danny and me, promised to come back as soon as they can and left.

'They have a pretty big computer company.' Danny said when he saw my questioned face.

'Oh'

Then the doctor came in.

'I have your blood results' he said 'There are no abnormalities for your condition so when your parents are back you can go home'

'Yes! Thank you doctor' Danny said excited, his face immediately cleared up and I too smiled wide.

Our day instantly became so much better! We played a game to kill the time when Tom and Harry came in.

'Hey mate!' Harry said greeting his friend with a big smile.

'Harry mate!' Danny said excited. 'Good to see you' and hugged him. Tom stood behind Harry and was way less excited, in fact he didn't show any kind of emotion.

After hugging Harry, Danny saw Tom and his smile faded.

'Come on Tommi boy, I can go home today!' he said trying to cheer him up. Meanwhile Harry greeted me by giving me a fist.

'Really?' Harry interrupted when he heard.

'Yeah, the blood results have come back and I got the all clear.'

But Tom wasn't cheered up so easily and stood there looking at the ground. I really hated how he was acting, I mean I can understand how he's feeling but at least you can try to be happy around Danny! He doesn't need to be worrying about other people right now!

I could see it all over Danny's face that Tom's acting made him suffer inside. He was feeling guilty again for being sick, for doing this to us. Just when I persuaded him that he shouldn't feel that way!

'Can you give us a moment?' Danny asked Harry and me.

I nodded. 'Sure' Harry said and we left the room but not before I gave Tom an angry look for destroying Danny's happy mood.


	16. Chapter 16

16.

Harry and I were sitting on the ground outside Danny's room.

'So how are you coping?' Harry asked

'Ok, I guess' I said raising my shoulders.

'It must be tough for you' Harry whispered

'Yeah, I try to hide it for Danny's sake'

He nodded. 'You know, if you or Danny need anything.. just give me a call alright?'

'Thanks' I said giving him another fist.

'Anything' Harry repeated and I smiled at him. Harry is a good friend. He's pretty quiet but really nice. He's the kind of friend that will do anything for his mates and I appreciate that, especially now.

Suddenly the door opened and Tom came out.

'Let's go Harry' he said sharp and Harry frowned.

'But..' he couldn't finish, Tom interrupted him.

'LET'S GO HARRY!'

Harry quickly stood up. 'Alright, alright.' He said 'Keep your voice down'

Tom let out a frustrated sigh and started walking towards the exit. Harry raised his shoulders to me.

'Sorry, mate. I'll visit when Danny's back home'

'Yeah sure, no problem' I said and gave him a hug before he ran after Tom.

I opened the door to Danny's room and found him sitting in a chair by the window. He didn't look at me when I entered the room, he kept looking outside, hiding his face.

'Are you ok?' I asked worried.

'I'm fine' he said but his trembling voice gave him away.

'Danny, look at me.' but he didn't.

'Look at me' I said stronger and he slowly moved his head towards mine.

His face and eyes were red, he could burst out in tears any moment.

'You're not fine' I said walking towards him and took him in my arms. 'What happened?'

'He's mad at me' he said as his voice broke and I frowned. Mad?

'Why?' I asked confused

'Because I'm with you and because he had to hear from my mum that I was in hospital.'

What a selfish bastard! What is he thinking dumping this on Danny right now? But I was broken out of my angry thoughts when I felt that Danny's tears were wetting my shirt.

'Sssh, it's ok. I'll talk to him. I'll apologize for not letting him know, it was my fault.'

'I tried to apologize but he wouldn't hear it' he said between sobs

Now I felt the anger coming up again and it was twice as strong as before. How dare he not take Danny's apologize? He doesn't even have anything to apologize for, it was my fault! Both of the accusations are my fault..!

'I'll be back soon' I said pulling him out of the hug and kissed him gently on the forehead. Then I stormed out of the room towards the parking lot, hoping they hadn't taken off yet. Someone has to tell this dickhead to get his priorities straight!

'Where are you going?' I heard Danny yell after me but I was too filled with rage to answer.

On the parking lot I found Harry and Tom just stepping into the car, seems like they had a pretty full on conversation by the looks on their faces. I had to run because they were already driving away and jumped just in time before the car. They had to hit the brakes hard so they wouldn't run me over.

'ARE YOU CRAZY?' Tom yelled stepping out of the car followed by Harry.

'No, but I think you are!'

'I didn't hit you, did I?' Harry asked but I ignored him.

'Danny is upset because of you! I thought you were coming over to cheer him up not to break him down?' I yelled

'And I thought that him and I were best friend who told each other everything! Didn't let me know he was in hospital though!'

'Oh excuse him for not calling you when he's unconscious!'

Meanwhile all the other people were starring at us and Harry desperately tried to calm us down.

'I'm sorry that I didn't let you know right away but it was after midnight when I got home, I was wrecked' I said calmer 'And I'm sorry that Danny and I are in love but Danny loves you too. Maybe not in the same way you love him but you are really important to him. Don't turn your back on him now he needs you the most!'

'I'm sorry' he said after a silence.

'Say that to Danny, not me'


	17. Chapter 17

17.

Tom had gone back to Danny's room to apologize. I was glad he realized that he was wrong and that he shouldn't blame Danny for not being in love with him or letting him know he was in hospital.. I couldn't smile any wider as I watched how Danny's face cleared up and hugged his friend tight. Harry gave me a proud look and I gave him a wink.

Harry and Tom stayed until Danny's parents came back to bring me and him home. they then took off as we quickly packed and said our thanks to the doctor and left.

'Would you like to have dinner at our place Dougie?' his mum asked as we were driving.

I wanted to accept the invitation gladly but looked at Danny. This would be the first time I'll come inside his house.

'Would you like that?' I asked careful

'No' he said and I felt hurt. He still doesn't trust me enough to let me inside his house. I suddenly felt his hand on my leg and I faced Danny again.

'I wouldn't like that' he said 'I would love that'

A huge smile appeared on my face. 'Really?' I asked excited.

'I wouldn't have it any other way' he said smiling.

'That's a deal than' his father said and we both smiled.

'I hope you like French fries and chicken' his mum said excited

'Yeah I do actually' I said smiling.

Danny and I were holding hands and he laid his head on my shoulder when he spoke.

'Hope I will be able to eat anything' he said

'Are you still feeling sick?' his mum asked

'A bit'

'If you don't feel up for it, just tell me and I'll make you that milkshake the doctor gave me' she said

'I'll try first' he said.

There was a silence and I suddenly realized how serious our relationship had gotten. But I didn't mind because I love Danny every day, every minute more and more.

As we arrived at Danny's house, he immediately pulled me up the stairs and into his room.

'Yell if you need anything!' his mum yelled after us.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah' he said in a nagging voice and closed the door behind me.

'Welcome to my room' he said smiling wide.

I looked around, it was typical Danny. Posters of Bruce Springsteen all over the walls, mess all over the floor and a guitar in the corner.

'You play?' I asked pointing at the guitar

'Yeah, since I was 6' he said proud. 'Wanted to start a band but… Sorry I hadn't got the chance to clean up!' he said changing the subject.

'That's ok, you've seen my room' I said smiling

'True'

We both sat on his bed in silence.

'Dougie, will you do me a favor?' he suddenly asked.

'Yeah, sure. What is it?' I said. I'll do anything for him.

He smiled before answering me. 'Kiss me'

I smiled and moved towards him. I placed my right hand on his head, taking his hair between my fingers and turned my head while closing my eyes. Meanwhile I felt my heart beating faster and faster.

My lips touched his and I froze for a few seconds before pushing my full mouth on his. It was a wonderful kiss, he has such soft lips!

When we pulled away we looked at each other with big smiles on our faces.

'Our first kiss' he said

'Our first kiss' I said as I couldn't smile any wider.


	18. Chapter 18

18.

Being in Danny's house was really cozy and I felt really comfortable. It was like I had been here a million times before, it felt so natural!

After dinner we went back upstairs to Danny's room and cuddled up on his bed. We laid there for quite a while in silence when I looked up and saw that Danny had his eyes closed.

'You're tired aren't you?' I said and he quickly opened his eyes.

'Sorry' he said

'That's ok' I said. 'Let's go to sleep. You need it.'

'But isn't it too early for you?'

'Nah, I'm pretty tired as well.' I said and I wasn't lying. It had been quite a day..

We changed into our boxers and crawled back into the bed. He cuddled up against me and immediately fell asleep. I closed my eyes and got a huge smile on my face as I suddenly realized the whole situation.

When I woke up Danny wasn't lying next to me. I looked around but he wasn't in the room. I checked the bathroom, the living room, kitchen even his parents' bedroom but he was nowhere to be found.

'Danny?' I yelled through the house but there came no answer.

I was really starting to become worried when I saw a newspaper lying on the floor. I picked it up and read the headline.

"_Teenager dies of cancer"_

'_Danny Jones (17), a beloved teenager within the community has yesterday died of cancer.'_

The newspaper fell out of my hands as I started to panic. I couldn't believe it.

'No, no' I said running my hand through my hair whilst looking at the newspaper's headline on the floor. 'NO!'

'Danny!' I yelled panicky and started running through the house, checking every room again. This has to be a joke, a bad joke. There is no other explanation!

'DANNY!' I yelled as loud as I could but I wasn't in the living room anymore. I was lying in bed again, breathing heavily and covered with sweat.

'Thank god you're awake' I quickly turned around when I heard him and jumped into his arms. I was so glad to see him again!

'You had quite the nightmare, didn't you?' he asked worried as he was holding me tight to comfort me. 'I tried to wake you but you wouldn't, it was really scary'

'You were gone..' I said to his chest. He pulled me out of the hug to look into my frightful eyes when I suddenly felt his soft lips on mine and he kissed me gentle but passionately.

'It's ok, it was just a dream. I'm still here. You're not getting rid of me that easily' he said trying to cheer me up and took me in his arms again.

'I love you' he said whispering.

'I love you too' I said to his chest again. I felt him smile and pulled me out of the hug again.

'Are you ok?' he asked

'Yeah, now I am' I said with a weak smile.

'Let's try to get some more sleep shall we?' he asked and I nodded.

We laid down again and I laid my head on his chest and listened to his breathing. Feeling him in my arms and hearing him breathe calmed me down. I waited for him to fall asleep before closing my eyes.

'It was just a dream Dougie, he's still with you' I said to myself before drifting into a dreamless dream.


	19. Chapter 19

19.

I woke up because of the light that crept through the curtains. I looked next to me but Danny wasn't lying in bed. I immediately had to think about my dream.

'Danny?' I said just loud enough but there came no answer. I felt the fear take me over as I carefully crawled out of the bed. I checked the bathroom but he wasn't there either. Alright, this is creeping me out!

I heard some noises coming from the kitchen as I was walking down the stairs, I could breathe again.

'Good morning Dougie' Danny's mum said to me. 'How did you sleep?'

'Alright' I lied

'Is Danny still sleeping?' his father asked and my breathe was taken away again.

'No, I thought he was with you!' I said a little panicky. His parents shared worried looks.

'We're already hours awake..' she said

I ran out of the kitchen into the living room to check every corner and saw his phone lying on the coffee table. I took it, he already had 3 messages.. I was tempted to read them but decided not to. I don't think Danny would appreciate that, I know I wouldn't.

I put his phone in my pocket and went back to the kitchen where his worried parents were discussing where Danny might have gone. His father came with the idea that he might be at Tom's and when I thought about it, it made sense. But he could have left a note or something. I took my phone and wanted to call Tom to check the man's theory when Danny suddenly walked in, smiling wide.

'Oh good, you're awake!' he said

'Where have you been?' we all asked together.

'You'll see' he said to me with a sneaky smile. 'You have to come with me, I have a surprise for you'

'But..'

'No buts, just come with me' he said taking me by my hand and pulled me out of the door.

'We won't be back for a few hours!' he yelled to his parents who were perplexed.

'Where are you taking me?' I asked

'If I told you it won't be a surprise would it?'

We walked into the park but went off the path, into the bushes. We were walking for quite some time when Danny suddenly stopped me.

'Wait here a second' he said and went on.

'Yes!' I heard him say and I then I heard his footsteps coming closer again until he stood next to me.

'Alright, close your eyes' I gave him a look. 'Just do it Dougs'

'Fine' I mumbled and closed my eyes.

He suddenly laughed. 'What?' I asked.

'Nothing' he said, I could tell he was smiling. 'You really can't see that's all.'

Something tells me he just did something crazy. He took me by the hand again and led me through the bushes when he stopped me again.

'Ok, open them'

I opened my eyes and saw that he led me to a beautiful cliff with perfectly green grass and with a gorgeous sea view. And when I looked down I saw a blanket lying on the grass with freshly squeezed orange juice and toast, cupcakes and sandwiches.

'You like it?'

I turned to him with widened eyes and an open mouth. He giggled when he saw my face.

'Like it? Danny I love it!' I said excited walking towards the blanket. 'How did you find this place?'

'This is my place' he said. 'I found it years ago when I first moved in with my parents. I was feeling quite lost back then and ran away. I ended up here and it has been my place ever since. I come here to think, no one knows about it.'

'Not even..?' I asked

'No, not even Tom' he said understanding who I was referring to.

'Wow' I said and he laughed.

'You just do so much for me, I wanted to do something back.' He said raising his shoulders.

'Yeah, because you haven't done anything for me.' I said sarcastic but jumped in his arms smiling wide.

'Thanks' I said whispering.

'You are special Dougie. I love you more than words can explain, you are my world now.'


	20. Chapter 20

20.

We were walking back home after watching the sunset in each other's arms. We talked, laughed, cuddled, kissed and ate the entire day.

'Can I ask you something?' I asked Danny and took his fingers between mine.

'Anything' he said and I smiled before asking him serious,

'Tom said that you felt like an outcast in your house, I don't get that feeling actually..'

He sighed. 'Yeah, a lot has changed the past few months. I've learnt that they really love me and would do anything for me. The reason why I've been down certain days is because they were special dates. You remember second day of school right? Well, it was actually my sister's birthday. Normally she would have turned 20 that day..'

'I bet she was an amazing little girl' I said trying to picture a female version of Danny.

'She was the best sister I could wish for.' He said and stopped to reach for his back pocket. He took out his wallet and showed me a picture of all of them together.

'It was taken a few weeks before the accident.' He said.

I looked at the picture. His sister was hanging around his neck, both of them were smiling wide. She had the same beautiful blue eyes but blond hair, like their mother. Little Danny, he was so cute! I looked at his parents who were standing behind the hugging kids, looking at their children with proud faces and saw that he really looks like his mum but he has his father's nose. It was a perfectly happy family.

'I feel really bad towards my foster parents actually. It took me 2 years to call them mum and dad and even then it felt wrong to call them that. But now.. I don't feel that way anymore. It just comes out naturally. I just wish I felt like this sooner you know? That I didn't hurt them so much.' he said

'Yeah but they understood. While we were waiting in hospital they told us that are so happy to have you, even if you struggled to open up to them.'

'Really? They said that?' he asked surprised

'Really' I said smiling and he smiled as well and hugged me 'Thanks for telling me'

We started walking again, hand in hand, enjoying how beautiful it was outside as it became darker and darker.

'So, what have you two been up to?' his father asked when we walked into the house.

'a picnic' Danny answered smiling wide, proud of what he had made for me.

'The entire day?' the woman asked.

'Yeah, I don't think I've eaten so many cupcakes in just one day.' I said while rubbing over my tummy.

'Oh Dougie' she said remembering. 'We called with your parents and we've decided that you can stay here for a while, if that's ok with you?'

'Sweet!' Danny said and gave me a high five.

'Your mum has already brought over a bag with clothes and stuff and she also said that you could skip school as long as needed.' She continued

'Thank you mum!' I said to the ceiling with my arms wide open and knees on the ground, as it was God. Danny was bending over with his arms over his stomach from laughter.

At dinner, the mood was amazing. Jokes were thrown all over the table, this is actually the best day of my life! I was surprised by how much energy Danny had. He just kept going and going. We all played a game of monopoly, we just had to benefit of the situation.

When we checked the clock, it was already 1 in the morning. Me and Danny went to the bedroom and changed into our boxers. After I came back from the bathroom I saw him looking outside the window.

I looked at him before joining him. His sight was fixed on the dark sky and his body language showed total peace. I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around him.

'Gorgeous isn't it, the moon.' He said, still looking at it. I followed his gaze and saw a beautiful full moon and lots of sparkling stars.

'Breathe taking.' I said and laid my head on his bare chest.


	21. Chapter 21

21.

I slowly woke and reached for my phone to check the time, maybe I could sleep some more. That thought suddenly sounded so ridiculous when I saw it was already noon. I checked it again so I was sure that my eyes weren't deceiving me.

I turned around and saw Danny lying next to me. He didn't show any signs of waking up, in fact he didn't seem to do anything, not moving at all. I felt the worry take me over and I slowly laid two fingers on his neck.

'Watcha doing?' he asked sleepily, waking up by the coldness of my fingers as he came aware of what I was trying to do.

'I'm not dead' he said pushing my hand away and I smiled. 'Good to know'

But Danny had already drifted back to sleep. I decided to get up and take a shower. When I came back he was still sleeping, I got hungry and went downstairs where I found his parents sitting in the living room.

'Finally awake are you' his father smiled

'Yeah, Danny is still sleeping heavily' I said

'I might just check up on him' his mum said. 'Please help yourself Dougie' she added before going up the stairs.

I went to the kitchen and took some cereal when I heard his mum coming back.

'He's having a fever Alan' she said to her husband.

'The doctor said that might happen, it's nothing to worry about' he said

I was listening to their conversation when I became distracted by the vibration of my phone. Harry had texted me.

"Hey! Is it ok 2 come over?"

"Sorry mate, he's having a bad day" I replied

"Let me know what's going on! Text if u need anything"

"I will, thanks"

I put my phone away just when his mum walked into the kitchen, a little worked up and started to take several utensils and a recipe.

'Honey, you're overreaction' her husband said following her. Obviously I missed a part of the conversation.

'No I'm not! He will become dehydrated if he doesn't eat something with this fever'

'Just let the kid sleep' he said frustrated. I felt a little uncomfortable standing there while they were having a discussion.

She ignored him and went on with making the recipe. He sighed frustrated and walked out the kitchen, I followed him and sat in the couch. He turned on the TV.

When I heard her going up the stairs I decided to go check up on Danny as well. I stood in the doorway and saw Danny still lying in bed, sleeping with his back towards me and his mum sat on her knees besides the bed, facing him.

'Danny, can you wake up?' she asked but he didn't move. 'Sweetheart?' she said shaking him a little.

He groaned and moved a little.

'I've made the milkshake the doctor gave me. You have to eat something darling'

He didn't say anything and took the milkshake over to drink it up immediately. Then he went back to sleep. She walked towards me and closed the door behind her.

'He didn't even complain' she said more to herself than to me as she looked at the disgusting looking brew that was still sticking to the sides of the glass. She quickly went downstairs and I didn't know what to do. Halfway down the stairs I sighed and sat down, letting my head lean against the rails.

'Alan, he just drunk it, didn't say anything. That's not like him' I heard her say worried

'Come on Kathy, he was probably too tired to even taste it'

'You're not worried at all, are you?' she said a little mad

'Of course I am! But the doctor said that this might happen sometimes, that we shouldn't make a big deal out of it' he said trying to stay calm.

'He's having a 40° fever! That's not nothing Alan!'

'He's just having a bad day, tomorrow it might as well be over again'

'I'm not doing this right now' she said 'My son needs me'

'He's my son too'

'Than start acting like a father!' she yelled.

'That's what I'm doing! Someone has to keep their head together!' he yelled back

'Really? Because it seems like you don't care at all!'

'Come on Kathy, you know that's not true' he said surprised by her words.

'Did you even want a child?' she asked as her voice started to break

'Of course I wanted him' he said soft

'Not as much as I did'

I closed my eyes when I heard the entire fight. I felt like I shouldn't hear it but this wasn't my house. Apart from Danny's room I don't have a place to hide myself like I do at home when my parents are having a fight.

"Can we meet?" I texted Harry.

"Sure, what's up?" he replied

"Need 2 escape for a while"

"Over 10 minutes at the playground"

I went in Danny's room to let him know I will be gone for a while.

'Danny?' I said shaking him a little, he still felt really warm.

'yeah?' he asked sleepily

'I'm meeting Harry, I will be back before you know it' I said while removing the hair from his face.

'Ok, I'm useless to you now anyway' he said and closed his eyes again. He slept immediately. I kissed him on the forehead and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.

'You will never be useless to me'


	22. Chapter 22

22.

I was walking towards the playground to meet Harry when I felt something in my pocket. I took it out and saw it was Danny's phone. I had forgotten to give it back to him. He already had 12 messages now.. I'm a curious person and decided to see who the messages were from but not read them.

4 were from Tom, 2 from Harry, 2 from Lizzie (don't know her), 1 from David?, 1 from Alice (girl from school) and 2 from Simon (one of Danny's best mates in class).

'Hey' Harry said suddenly standing next to me.

'I'm not doing anything!' I said surprised and quickly put away Danny's phone. Harry had no idea what I was talking about and frowned before starting to laugh. I stood there with a busted face.

'How are you?' he asked while walking towards the swings.

'I don't know' I said honest. Really, I don't know how I feel. It's like I'm numb inside.

Harry stayed silent and looked worried in my direction as he took a swing to sit on. I too sat on a swing, the same one I had sat on when I was here with Danny. Memories flashing through my head.

'Yesterday he was so well. I had almost forgotten that he was sick. It was just like the times where I didn't know it yet. But today.. he's having a fever and he's too tired to even open up his eyes.' I said slightly moving forward and backwards on the swing.

'I can't imagine what you are going through' Harry said. 'Honestly, I find it hard to just be a few hours around him. The moment I leave I start crying.. But you are around him 24/7. I could never do what you are doing.'

'I have to be strong' I said raising my shoulders. 'He's everything I have'

'What am going to do without him?' I asked while my voice broke.

'Oh mate' Harry said getting off his swing and coming to me to hug me.

'It scares me too' he said 'He's lucky to have you' he added while letting me go again.

'No, I'm lucky to have him' I said. I hadn't forgotten how hard my life has sucked before I met him.

'He's the best thing that happened to me. But good things don't last long in my life.. I think that God doesn't want me to be happy.'

'Mate, you can't think like that' Harry said worried

'It's true' I said raising my shoulders. 'He takes away everything I care about. I love Danny so much that it sometimes hurts to even breathe!'

'I'm glad Danny got you. Your love for each other is just readable in both your eyes. When you look at each other they just lighten up, sparkle' he said 'I wish I loved someone so intense as you do'

I smiled. 'You'll find someone and when you have it, don't ever let it go.'

'I look up to you guys. You both have been through so much. It's just admirable how you guys handle everything. You're so strong!'

'We're not as strong as we let out to be'

'But still' he said and I smiled.

'Thanks for being here for us' I said genuinely thankful. Harry has somewhat convinced me that I am strong and that I am doing the best I can. That it is ok to want to escape sometimes..

'It's the least I can do for you'

'You've really helped me, talking to you and escaping for a while. I feel a lot better, ready to face everything again' I said.

'Glad I was able to help' he said smiling and gave me a fist.

When I got back home there was no one to be seen.

'Hello?' I asked raising my voice a little but there came no answer. I went upstairs to check up on Danny. He was still sleeping heavily but there was someone lying next to him in bed.

'Tom?' I asked confused when I recognized him. He looked up and quickly got out of bed to push me out of the room, closing the door behind us. I was still looking at him in confusion when he spoke.

'Where were you?' he asked

'With Harry' I answered.

'How could you leave him? he's really having a bad day!' he asked angry.

'I just.. I don't need to explain myself to you!' I said raising my voice as well. 'Obviously you haven't spoken to Danny yet because he would have told you that I was with Harry and he would have told you to stay out of his bed!'

He didn't know how to reply on that and stayed silent.

'What are you doing here anyway?' I asked running my hand through my hair.

'Danny's parents called me, they don't have your number yet and they couldn't find Danny's phone. They had to go to work..' he said

Alright, that I believe. Since I'm the one that still has Danny's phone and they already had to go to work before so..

'But I'm back now so if you want to go home, you can' I said calmed down. I wanted to enter Danny's room but Tom blocked the way.

'Unlike you I'm not just going to leave him with every chance I get.' he said cold

'What?'

'You heard me. Maybe it's time for you to go back home'

'Tom you're being stupid. Let me in.'

He just crossed his arms and looked at me with a challenging face.

'Tom? What are you doing here?' Danny asked sleepily. We didn't even see that he had opened the door and was standing in the doorway. He was squeezing his eyes, they weren't used to the light.

'You're not supposed to go out of your bed with that fever!' Tom said worried but avoiding Danny's question as well. He tried to push Danny back in the room, into his bed but Danny saw on my face that something more was going on and stayed put.

'What's going on?' he asked

'Nothing. You're parents asked me to look after you while they are gone' Tom said.

Danny looked from Tom to me, to see if I backed his story. I saw Tom giving me an evil look.

'Something like that' I said but Danny knows me and saw that I was upset.

'Can I talk to you for a second?' he asked Tom. He nodded and they both disappeared in the room.

God I'm so weak! I can't even fight my own battles, no a sick guy has to fight them for me!


	23. Chapter 23

23.

Just a minute after Tom and Danny went into the room Tom stormed out followed by Danny who now was wearing several sweaters to keep him warm and still squeezing his eyes.

'Tom stop!' he yelled as Tom arrived at the door. Tom froze when he heard Danny say his name.

'What's the problem?' Danny asked

'The problem? THAT is my problem' Tom said pointing at me. 'Why him? I have loved you long before he came! And when I told him you were in love with him, he ran. He actually ran away! That's how much he loves you Danny. I mean, just look at him.'

They both looked at me. Tom with a disgusted and evil look and Danny with a confused and rather angry look. He then turned his head back to Tom when he started talking again.

'If you weren't nice to him on his first day and decided to befriend him I'd probably started bullying him myself. Look at him, he just asks for it! Can't you see he's just..'

Danny punched the wall with his bare hand causing Tom to jump up. I was really surprised as well by his sudden action.

'THAT'S ENOUGH!' Danny yelled angry. 'If you have a problem with Dougie, you have a problem with me!'

Tom stood perplexed in the hallway.

'Danny..' he said soft.

'Just get out.' Danny said disappointed, turned around and headed back to his room. Tom gave me a this is all your fault look and left, closing the door with a loud bang. I quickly ran upstairs to check up on Danny. He probably pushed himself just now, with his fever.

'Are you ok?' I asked standing in the doorway when I saw Danny crawling back into his bed.

'No' he said short.

'He just loves you' I said not believing that those words came out of my own mouth. I'm defending Tom now? Danny must have thought the same as he gave me a frowning look.

'I know' I said sighing. 'But it must be painful to see someone you love, love someone else'

'Still.. he shouldn't have said what he said' Danny said and after a silence he added. 'Did you really ran away?'

'I.. panicked'

'Panicked' Danny repeated the word with sadness on his face.

'Danny, I love you now, more than anything or anyone in the world. Don't listen to Tom.' I said crawling in bed next to him. He looked at me and smiled weak. He was looking really pale and tired. I placed my hand on his forehead, it was really warm.

'Do you want to go back to sleep?' I asked soft.

He nodded and laid himself down on his side with his back to me. Tom really hurt him telling him that. Why does he need to spoil everything?

'I don't want to lose you' I said whispering and he turned himself around to face me.

'If you keep me in your heart, you'll never lose me'


	24. Chapter 24

24.

I wanted to talk to Danny some more, I wanted to convince him I'm not just staying with him because I feel sorry for him but that I'm staying because I love him. But Danny was so exhausted after the fight with Tom he fell asleep in the middle of his sentence.

I sat in the couch downstairs, watching some tv. It was 7 pm. Danny's parents still hadn't returned, I hope they sorted out their fight as well..

I got hungry and prepared something in the kitchen. It was just some spaghetti, I can't make anything else but it was eatable. I ate before the tv and watched some comedy shows. I could really use it to bring back a smile on my face.

An hour passed and there was no sign of Danny waking up or his parents coming home when suddenly the doorbell rang. I opened the door and saw a guy from school standing on the front porch. His name is Simon, he's one of Danny's best mates in class. I've never talked to him before though..

'Hi, you're Dougie right?' Simon asked

'Yes'

'Simon' he said giving me his hand. 'Can I come in?'

'Sure' I said

'How's Danny?' he asked walking towards the living room.

'He's sleeping, he's having a fever and has been sleeping all day.' I said

Simon looked down, clearly concerned. 'Sorry to barge in like this' he said 'Danny just hasn't answered to any of my texts and I became really worried.'

I really need to give Danny back his phone, I just forget about it all the time.

'It's ok, do you want to go up? He's been sleeping for a while now, he would want me to wake him up If he knew you were here.'

'If you're sure' he said.

'Yeah, of course'

I went to Danny' s room followed by Simon. He waited in the doorway when I entered the room. Danny was still sleeping heavily and didn't wake up.

'Danny' I said shaking him a little.

'Wha?' he mumbled.

'You've got a visitor' I said smiling when I saw how cute he actually is when he's just waking up. He yawned and sat up straight to see who was there. He immediately shot wide awake when he saw it was Simon.

'Si, mate!' he said excited

Simon smiled wide and entered the room to sit down on Danny's bed.

'How are you?' Danny asked

'Good, good' Simon said. 'But more importantly, how are you?'

'Ok..So, is this how you want to spend your Saturday evening?' Danny said changing the subject.

'Yeah, wasn't in the mood to go out without my party animal' Simon said smiling wide and they gave each other a fist.

'Where are your parents?' Simon asked looking around.

'Oh they had to go to work, they are gone for quite a while now.'

'Still computer nerds hu?' Simon said smiling and Danny laughed. It must be an insider.

'So how is school?'

'We've got a replacement for English. He's pretty stupid, he believes everything we say! We made him believe that English class was canceled the other day, he bought it and we got to go home. You would have loved it mate. Anyway apart from that it's pretty boring. Everyone misses our class clown.'

Danny laughed. I saw on his face how much he enjoyed having Simon over.

'Tom called me before' Simon said careful. 'you two had a fight?'

'Yeah..' Danny said looking down.

'He knows he has gone too far. He's really worried you won't forgive him. But you will, won't you?'

Danny sighed frustrated. 'I can't stay mad at anyone!'

Both Simon and I smiled and eventually Danny joined us.

Simon stayed some time longer and really brought back the good spirit and mood. After a while Danny was exhausted again and Simon decided to go back home.

'Thanks' I said to Simon when we were walking down the stairs. 'He really needed that'

'He's one of my best mates, I can't just ditch him.'

'Feel free to come over again.' I said when we arrived at the door.

'Alright, I will' he said happy. 'It was nice to finally meet you Dougie. Danny told me a lot about you. He really loves you, you know. I'm really glad you feel the same way. I don't know what would have happened to him if you didn't because you're the one that keeps him going. He told me that.'

'I do love him, unconditionally' I said and Simon smiled warmly.

'See ya' he said

'Bye'

I closed the door and went back upstairs. It was pretty late already and decided to go to bed. I changed into my boxers and crawled in bed next to the already heavy sleeping Danny. I cuddled up against him and smiled before closing my eyes because I now realized, because of Simon, that our love has no boundaries.


	25. Chapter 25

25.

Me and Danny were lying cuddled up in the couch before the tv. He still had a fever but it wasn't that high anymore and he wasn't that tired anymore either. I was lying in his arms and he softly went up and down my arm with his fingertips when he suddenly stopped.

'What's this?' he asked when he felt an unevenness under my arm.

'It's just a scar' I said and looked at it.

'How did you get it?' he asked

'Some kids thought it was funny to put out a cigarette on my arm' I said raising my shoulders.

'When was this?'

'2 years ago maybe'

'Scumbag' he mumbled 'Would have kicked their asses'

'My hero' I said laughing

'I like superman' he said smiling

'I like batman'

'Oh Catwoman!' He said excited and we both laughed. Suddenly the couch vibrated and Danny sighed while taking his phone out of his pocket. I had finally given back his phone to him.

'Why can't people leave me alone for 2 minutes?'

'Who is it from?' I asked, curious as I am.

'Harry' He said and read the text while a concerned look appeared on his face.

'What is it?' I asked

'He needs some cheering up, is it ok for him and Tom to come over?'

'Yeah, of course!' I said but inside I was hoping it wouldn't be too much for him. Granted, he is feeling a little better but taking on too much might punish him tomorrow. He's still having a fever and looking pretty pale but if he feels up for it I'm not going to stand in his way to meet his best friends.

Danny texted back and threw his phone on the coffee table and took me in his arms again. Half an hour later Tom and Harry showed up at our doorstep. Harry was pretty quiet when he came in but Danny made sure he was back in a good mood. Tom was a little insecure in the beginning but when he noticed Danny couldn't stay mad he was back to his old self. It was really cozy and fun except that Tom didn't say anything to me unless really needed but hey, better than fighting right?

'Oh Harry, just remembered, I've got something for you' Danny said suddenly. 'Will you come with me?'

'Sure' Harry said, stood up and followed Danny to his room leaving Tom and me in the living room.

'So how's school?' I asked, trying to make a conversation.

'it's ok, not the same without out little joker' he said referring to Danny.

'Yeah' I said believing that school was way more boring than usual without his jokes.

Meanwhile Danny and Harry came back and Harry looked like a kid who just saw Santa Claus.

'Look what he got me!' he said excited to us and let us show 2 drumsticks with special printing. 'I searched everywhere for them! It's the best present ever!'

Danny sat down back into the couch, next to me and looked at Harry with a huge grin and sparkling eyes. He was really glad that Harry was so stoked with his present.

'You play the drum?' I asked

'Yeah, only for 2 years though' Harry answered

'And he's already a professional' Danny said smiling.

'Stop! You're making me blush' Harry said and we all laughed. 'No seriously, thank you so so so much!'

'My pleasure' Danny answered proud.

'Does anyone want some more drinks?' I asked.

'Yeah, a coke please' Harry said. Tom shook his head and Danny asked for a water. I went to the kitchen to get the drinks when something just shot into my mind.

It's Sunday.. it's almost a week since I know that Danny's sick. A week less from the little time he has left. Time goes way too fast. I don't want just weeks with him, I want a lifetime with him!


	26. Chapter 26

26.

Monday.. I hate Mondays! Always have and always will. Even though I'm not going to school I still have this uneasy feeling deep within my stomach that alarms me. Yeah, I definitely don't miss school that's for sure! But I do miss the breaks, the after school meetings, the chilling, in short all the things that involve school but not school itself.. Am I making any sense here?

Danny's groan interrupted my thoughts. I looked at him, he was pulling a face in pain.

'What's wrong?' I asked worried

'My bones hurt' he said hoarse.

'Do you want me to get a painkiller?' I asked and he nodded, unable to say anything because of the pain. I rushed downstairs to get a pill and a glass of water. No one was up yet which was frustrating because I don't know where the painkillers lay. But after some searching I eventually found them and ran back upstairs. Danny was still pulling faces in pain. I quickly gave him the pill and he swallowed it immediately.

'I hope it works' I said

'So do I' Danny said still hoarse and laid back down.

Hours passed and the painkillers didn't seem to work since Danny was having so much pain he could barely move. I had informed his parents about this because it was going way out of my control. But they couldn't do much either..

His mum was sitting next to him, trying to relax him and to take his mind of the pain but with no luck.

'Could you go get another pill Dougie?' she asked me. I nodded and quickly ran downstairs.

'Damn!' I said angry when I saw that the box was empty.

'What's wrong?' Danny's father asked

'There are no more pills!'

The man took his wife's purse and took out a little bag full of pills. And yes, there was a painkiller in there.

'Here' he said giving me the last pill. 'I'll go to the pharmacist to get some more' he said while taking his jacket and walked out the door.

'DOUGIE CALL AN AMBULANCE' I suddenly heard Danny's mum yell in panic when I was walking back up the stairs. I immediately dropped everything and rushed to the phone to call 911.

She looked down on her sleeping son in the hospital bed. She softly ran her hand through his hair and gently caress over his forehead. I saw how a tear fell down her cheek. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible.

Danny's parents, Tom, Harry, Simon, a few other of Danny's best mates and family and me were standing in the room. Tears falling down our faces while looking at the pale looking sleeping Danny. Tubes sticking in his arm for against the pain and an oxygen line that went into his nose. The doctor had told us he was getting worse really fast, he gave Danny a day to live.

In the silence of the room one thought was shared by all the people. Not much time was left. From now on it will only become worse and worse. We all knew that this day would come but no one wanted to believe it was today.

'I can't take it anymore' Tom said and ran outside. Harry ran after him to comfort him. I looked down. Poor Tom, he loves Danny so much and never got the chance to really tell him that. Things might have gone totally different if Tom told Danny he loved him before I came.

After hours and hours of total silence, visiting hours were over. Everybody had to go home. Goodbye tears on everybody's faces, knowing that he might not make the morning. Only his parents and I were allowed to stay.

Now everyone was gone, his mum let out all her tears. The man took her in his arms and hugged her tight, having tears falling down his face as well. It's always heartbreaking when you see a mother cry but it's even worse when you see both a mother and a father cry.

I thought back to this morning. I had this feeling that was alarming me for something. I now think that it's wasn't a school feeling but maybe my subconscious was alarming me for this. Maybe it knew that the day had come where everything will change.


	27. Chapter 27

27.

I woke up because of something that fell on my head. To my surprise I had fallen asleep. I looked in my lap to see what just hit my head and saw a paper crop.

His parents were still sleeping. They were wide awake when I was drifting to sleep so they probably will be sleeping for a while longer.

I looked up and saw Danny smiling at me. 'Sleepy head' he said. If only he knew that it was 5 am before I was able to fall asleep. 'I've been up for ages! 10 minutes to be precise' He added.

I laughed. It was good to know Danny hadn't lost his humor in all this.

'How are you feeling?' I asked. As you can imagine, he didn't look too good. He was so pale and the skin around his eyes was red.

'Don't give me food and I'll be alright'

'Maybe I should go tell the nurses that' I suggested not wanting him to be sick again.

'Already done. She came in before to measure my temperature and I told her no food for me.'

'Great' I said.

'So what happened yesterday? How come I'm in hospital?' he asked

'You don't remember?' I asked and he shook his head.

'Well, you were having so much pain that you passed out and stopped breathing for a while. You gave us quite a scare'

He blinked several times and frowned, trying to remember what happened.

'Dougie?' Danny suddenly asked

'Yeah?'

'I don't get to go back home am I?'

I swallowed and slightly shook my head.

'I'm afraid' he said while tears appeared in his eyes.

'Afraid of what?' I asked, trying to stay calm and sat down on the end of his bed.

'Dying' He said looking down. 'There are so many different stories, I don't know what to expect. Will there be a grim reaper or is it going to be tunnel or will my spirit rise from my body and fly to heaven? Will my life flash before my eyes before I go?'

'I don't know' I said whispering. I felt tears appearing in my eyes, I don't want to think about his death.

'I'll know pretty soon, that scares me.'

I hugged him. 'Whatever death is like, I know for sure that it will be serene and painless. You don't have to be afraid.'

'Promise me you won't forget me' he said to my shoulder. I pulled him out of the hug and looked in his watering eyes.

'You're unforgettable Danny, there is no way I'll ever forget you.' I said strong and he smiled but it faded again.

'I feel so weak' he whispered.

'You have to take it easy and let your body rest' I said laying him back down.

'I'm such a pain'

'Who are you and what have you done with my Danny?'

He smiled. 'Sorry'

'It's ok but take some rest now' I said and kissed him on the forehead.

He closed his eyes, that was my cue to finally let out the tears that were drowning my eyes. I had to really control my tears and voice before to not let him show what the conversation was doing to me. He needed me, he needed to hear comforting words not tears and sobbing. I watched him as he was falling asleep. His breathing became calmer and deeper. At least he has beautiful dreams to escape to. I sat down in my chair again and held his hand.

'Stay with me' I whispered, feeling another tear falling down.


	28. Chapter 28

28.

'Hey' Simon said walking in the room with Tom and Harry. 'How is he doing?'

'Not so great' I said. 'He knows he has little time left and he has barely any energy'

Tom sat down in the chair on the other side of Danny's bed and held his hand. His eyes were red from crying, I could tell that he was trying really hard to not burst down in tears right now. Simon stood at the end of the bed and stared at Danny. Harry sat down on the arm of my chair.

'We're not allowed to stay long.' He said. 'Actually we weren't allowed at all but we persuaded the nurse to let us in.'

I smiled. Danny would have loved this. After a while Danny's parents woke. Tom made room for them in the chair and stood next to Simon who hadn't looked at anything else but Danny.

'I'm sorry but you'll have to leave.' A nurse said to the guys

'10 more minutes?' Harry asked and she agreed.

We all went outside to let Harry, Tom and Simon each have a few minutes alone with Danny to say goodbye. After that they left and we went back in. I crawled in bed next to Danny and took him in my arms. He didn't wake up. His parents took a seat on the other side and held his hand.

Hours passed as we laid there in silence, listening how Danny's breathing became irregular and short. I looked outside, it was raining. For the first time in weeks it was raining. Even the world couldn't repress its tears any longer. I kept looking outside to the rain and watched the sky getting darker and darker as the night began to fall when suddenly I felt Danny move. He was still half sleeping when he slightly opened up his eyes and smiled when he saw me. He laid his arm over my shoulder and closed his eyes again.

'I love you' he said and fell back to sleep.

His parents shared loved looks with each other but at the same time also sad.

'I love you too' I said and laid my head down on his chest and listened to his slow heartbeat with closed eyes.

I opened my eyes and realized I had fallen asleep. Danny still had his arm over my shoulder but his breathing was even more irregular and he felt quite cold. I looked at his parents and saw they had fallen asleep as well. But I couldn't sleep anymore, I didn't want to sleep anymore. I didn't want to waste my time with Danny with sleeping. I looked at my sleeping love and kissed his lips gently. But life ain't a fairytale. He isn't going to wake up and everything won't magically turn out alright. I laid myself back down, pressing Danny against me. An hour passed when suddenly..

I felt how Danny's grip around me loosened and eventually his arm fell of my shoulder as he let out his last breath.

I pulled him even closer to me as I felt the tears falling down my cheeks and hugged him tight, hiding my face to his chest.

Because I knew he won't be breathing in ever again.

* * *

**I'm thinking about doing a sequel, I've already got some ideas..**

**What do you think? R&R**


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